Letter from Francis W. Halsey to [John Muir], 1902 Jan 4.

The New York TimesOFFICE OF THE EDITOR OFTHE SATURDAY REVIEW OF BOOKS.New York, Jany 4 1902Dear Sir:We beg this day to send you in another wrapper a marked copy of the latest issue of The New York Times Saturday Review of Books, in which will be found something not altogether uninteresting to you.And may we add that, if at any time, you should desire to have any items of general interest to the public printed in THE NEW YORK TIMES SATURDAY REVIEW OF BOOKS concerning your work, or your interest in literary matters, they would be received with pleasure.Yours faithfully,THE NEW YORK TIMES.[illegible]EDITOR SATURDAY REVIEW OF BOOKS.0292

Invertebrate Fauna and Environment of Deposition of the Niobrara Formation (Cretaceous) of Kansas

This paper reevaluates, and where desirable, synonymizes species. Previously unrecorded species are described and illustrated. The environment of the Niobrara Formation in Kansas is described. The author collected specimens in Scott, Logan, Gove, Trego, Rooks and Phillips Counties, Kansas.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/fort_hays_studies_series/1061/thumbnail.jp

The Secondary School Assistant Principal

School leadership research typically centers around the high profile roles of the site level principal and the district superintendent. The resulting scarcity of information in regard to the role of the assistant principal is contributing to ineffective training, fewer initial guidelines and an overall lack of clear conceptualization of the position. The purpose of this study was to construct a realistic portrayal of the assistant principal\u27s daily professional life in the educational arena. This qualitative, ethnographic study stressed depth, richness and accuracy to depict the singular and collective voices of the participants. Eight practicing Junior and Senior High School assistant principals in San Diego County were interviewed individually as well as collectively in focus group interviews. In addition they completed a survey and were asked to complete two one-day logs documenting their activities and interactions. Findings of the study showed that the world of the practicing assistant principal is in constant motion and filled with an amazing range of potentially volatile, thought provoking human interactions. There is a technical side where each decision is required to be made with skill, immediacy and a certain permanency. The role is unpredictable and while many assistant principals strive to accomplish leadership, the sheer number of disciplinary interactions and daily interruptions often supersede their attempts at impacting change. The greatest challenges for practicing assistant principals include: accepting the continual lack of closure or time, accumulating the diverse knowledge-base needed to be responsive to the endless array of problem solving situations they encounter, and acknowledging the public, political nature of their role. They strive to meet these challenges by building cohesive teams, sharing humor, celebrating successes, and readjusting their expectations of themselves and others. Suggestions for improved training programs and inservices specific to the role were abundant and were felt to be vital to the success and safety of assistant principals. Immediate needs include: a reduction in hours, (they averaged 12 hour days), assistance with continual supervision, and greater autonomy and learning opportunities. A primary frustration with the role was the inability to structure their time to engage in systematically planned leadership activities. The fact that leadership occurs at all is due to purposeful time utilization, will power and a high level of commitment to the betterment of the human condition. Analysis of the role offered an enlightened view of the role of the secondary school assistant principal in the tumultuous educational system called school

Exact Multifractal Spectra for Arbitrary Laplacian Random Walks

Iterated conformal mappings are used to obtain exact multifractal spectra of the harmonic measure for arbitrary Laplacian random walks in two dimensions. Separate spectra are found to describe scaling of the growth measure in time, of the measure near the growth tip, and of the measure away from the growth tip. The spectra away from the tip coincide with those of conformally invariant equilibrium systems with arbitrary central charge $c\leq 1$, with $c$ related to the particular walk chosen, while the scaling in time and near the tip cannot be obtained from the equilibrium properties.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; references added, minor correction

Reply: Methotrexate neurotoxicity due to drug interactions: an inadequate folinic acid effect

No abstract available

Drug interactions may be important risk factors for methotrexate neurotoxicity, particularly in pediatric leukemia patients

Purpose: Methotrexate administration is associated with frequent adverse neurological events during treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Here, we present evidence to support the role of common drug interactions and low vitamin B12 levels in potentiating methotrexate neurotoxicity. Methods: We review the published evidence and highlight key potential drug interactions as well as present clinical evidence of severe methotrexate neurotoxicity in conjunction with nitrous oxide anesthesia and measurements of vitamin B12 levels among pediatric leukemia patients during therapy. Results: We describe a very plausible mechanism for methotrexate neurotoxicity in pediatric leukemia patients involving reduction in methionine and consequential disruption of myelin production. We provide evidence that a number of commonly prescribed drugs in pediatric leukemia management interact with the same folate biosynthetic pathways and/or reduce functional vitamin B12 levels and hence are likely to increase the toxicity of methotrexate in these patients. We also present a brief case study supporting out hypothesis that nitrous oxide contributes to methotrexate neurotoxicity and a nutritional study, showing that patients. Conclusions: Use of nitrous oxide in pediatric leukemia patients at the same time as methotrexate use should be avoided especially as many suitable alternative anesthetic agents exist. Clinicians should consider monitoring levels of vitamin B12 in patients suspected of having methotrexate- induced neurotoxic effects

GNEP Material Transportation, Storage and Disposal Analysis FY-08 Summary Report

This report provides a summary for FY-2008 of activities, analyses and products from the Material Transportation, Storage and Disposal (M-TSD) sub-task of Systems Analysis within the Advanced Fuel Cycle Research & Development area of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. The objective of this work is to evaluate near-term material management requirements for initial GNEP facilities and activities, long-term requirements for large-scale GNEP technology deployment, and alternatives and paths forward to meet these needs. For FY-08, the work expanded to include the Integrated Waste Management Strategy as well as integration with the newly formed Waste Forms Campaign. The M-TSD team was expanded with the addition of support from Savannah River National Lab (SRNL) to the existing team of Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL), Argonne National Lab (ANL), Idaho National Lab (INL), Sandia National Lab (SNL) and University of Nevada - Reno (UN-R). During the first half of the year, analysis was focused on providing supporting technical analysis and documentation to support anticipated high-level decisions on program direction. A number of analyses were conducted and reports prepared as program deliverables. This work is briefly summarized in this report. Analyses provided informally to other program efforts are included in this report to provide documentation. This year-end summary was planned primarily as a compilation of activities following the anticipated programmatic decisions. These decisions were deferred beyond the end of the year, and funds were reallocated in a number of areas, thus reducing the M-TSD activities. This report summarizes the miscellaneous 'ad-hoc' work conducted during the later part of the year, such as support to the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), and support to other program studies. Major programmatic contributions from the M-TSD team during the year included: (1) Completion of the IWMS in March 2008 as the baseline for waste management calculations for the GNEP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The IWMS represents a collaborative effort between the Systems Analysis, Waste Forms, and Separations Campaigns with contributing authors from multiple laboratories. The IWMS reference is: 'Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Integrated Waste Management Strategy, D. Gombert, INL, et al, GNEP-WAST-WAST-AI-RT-2008-000214, March 2008'. (2) As input to the IWMS and support for program decisions, an evaluation of the current regulatory framework in the U.S. pertaining to the disposal of radioactive wastes under an advanced nuclear fuel cycle was completed by ANL. This evaluation also investigated potential disposal pathways for these wastes. The entire evaluation is provided in Appendix A of this report. (3) Support was provided to the development of the GNEP Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement from INL, SNL and ANL M-TSD staff. (4) M-TSD staff prepared input for DSARR (Dynamic Systems Analysis Report for Nuclear Fuel Recycle) report. The DSARR is an INL led report to examine the time-dependent dynamics for a transition from the current open fuel cycle to either a 1-tier or 2-tier closed fuel cycle. Section 5.3 Waste Management Impacts was provided to INL for incorporation into the DSARR. (5) SNL M-TSD staff prepared a M2 milestone report 'Material Transportation, Storage and Disposal Contribution for Secretarial Decision Package'. The report purpose was to comprehensively evaluate and discuss packaging, storage, and transportation for all potential nuclear and radioactive materials in the process and waste streams being considered by the GNEP program. In particular, a systems view was used to capture all packaging, storage, and transport operations needed to link the various functional aspects of the fuel cycle. (6) SRNL M-TSD staff developed a deliverable report 'Management of Decay Heat from Spent Nuclear Fuel'. This report evaluated a range of options for managing the near-term decay heat associated with Cs and Sr in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing wastes. (7) M-TSD staff participated in a series of meetings of the US-Japan GNEP Working Group on Waste Management, developing the content for the first deliverable of the working group

Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) Repository Impact Evaluation FY-05 Progress Report

An important long-term objective of advanced nuclear fuel cycle (AFC) technologies is to provide improvement in the long-term management of radioactive waste. Compared to a once-thru fuel cycle, it is possible to generate far less waste, and potentially easier waste to manage, with advanced fuel cycles. However, the precise extent and value of these benefits are complex and difficult to quantify. This document presents a status report of efforts within AFCI Systems Analysis to define and quantify the AFC benefits to geologic disposal, development of cooperative efforts with the US repository program, and participation with international evaluations of AFC impacts on waste management. The primary analysis of repository benefits is conducted by ANL. This year repository impact evaluations have included: (1) Continued evaluation of LWR recycle benefits in support of scenario analysis. (2) Extension of repository analyses to consider long-term dose reductions. (3) Developing the opportunity for cooperation with the U.S. repository program. (4) International cooperation with OECD-NEA

Analysis for biotechnology innovations using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA):

" Meeting the food needs of the world's growing population while reducing poverty and protecting the environment is a major global challenge. Genetically modified crops appear to provide a promising option to deal with this challenge. However there is a need to make strategic decisions on how to spend limited agricultural research funds in order to achieve a maximum impact with regard to finding sustainable solutions to end hunger and poverty. In international development institutions, there is growing interest in the potential use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as part of a research based Environmental Management System (EMS) to promote mainstreaming of environmental considerations in policy development. SEA was developed as an approach to integrate environmental considerations at a policy level, where alternatives environmental policies can be evaluated. In this paper, we propose using SEA in a policy research and priority setting process regarding new technologies, taking the development of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as an example. We propose that this method would be a useful tool for the international agricultural research centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), streamlining business processes, strengthening accountability, sharpening the research agenda it supports, fostering broader partnerships, and increasing the relevance and impact of CGIAR research in achieving international development goals. Currently international law requires only Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of specific biotechnology projects. The incorporation of environmental considerations only at the level of specific projects precludes the adoption of alternative environmental policies. In this review, we outline an SEA approach currently being considered at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for use in evaluating biotechnology policies. SEA may be a useful tool to inform the evaluation of biotechnology policies and priorities by taking account of information on the economic, social, and environmental benefits, cost and risks of adopting those policies." Authors' AbstractRisk, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Genetically modified organisms, Living modified organisms,

Strategic environmental assessment: assessing the environmental impact of biotechnology

Poverty reduction, Agricultural research, Environmental protection, Genetically modified organisms, Crops, Agricultural biotechnology Research, Investments, Strategic Environmental Assessment,